The Raving Mad
by ClimbingUpTheWalls
Summary: She tells herself she's crazy to still be here. To be with him. She justifies it every time the canon goes off, that soon she'll be free of him. It doesn't matter though. Not when she's actually grown to care about her ally.
1. Chapter 1

"You've got to be kidding me." He hisses, hands clutching either side of the delicate glass table. It digs into his palms and leaves slight indents. None of this is relevant to him.

"You think I'm happy about this? You think I'm happy that seventy-four years of tradition have just been shit on?" Brutus takes another swig from the tiny glass in his hands. He shakes his head and lets out a bitter laugh.

In one second he's on his feet and throwing the glass across the room, shattering it against the wall. Just about anyone else would be horrified by this reaction, but not Cato. He was used to his mentors reactions by now. He himself was struggling not to toss the table and watch it shatter against the floor.

Both men stood in the empty room, unsure what to take their anger out on. Enobaria had laughed when she found out. To the point that she slouched over and grabbed onto her ribs to control the shaking. Clove had been nowhere near them, perhaps too cowardly to face the both of them. Or maybe she was off with her new leader. The Careers new leader.

His temper snapped in that single thought. Cato threw the table to the ground and was only slightly disappointed when it did not shatter. A nice long crack now marred the surface instead.

"I'm going to kill him." He said in a voice that would scare anyone who valued their own safety.

"I would hope so."

"Not just that. I'm going to make them regret the moment this silly little idea popped into their head."

"Of course."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"You're going to help me get sponsors, aren't you?"

"I've invested fourteen years in you. What's another few weeks?"

It's a good answer and it tames his anger enough that he doesn't snap the neck of the Avox who attempts to pick up the table.

* * *

Katniss admires the bows from across the room, wondering what the difference between the metal ones of the Capitol are compared to the wooden ones of her home.

A few times people wander over and sample them, listen to the instructor and maybe hit close to the target. The only one who does even moderately good is the District 1 girl, but even her attempt is decent at best.

She shakes her head and does her best to focus on the snares in front of her. Today was the second day of training, tomorrow they'd have one final day of training and then the next there would be private sessions. The day after this their scores would be released and then that night there would be interviews with Caesar. The following morning the games begin. Her fingers shook and messed up the snare she was attempting at the idea of what would take place in just a mere few days.

The games, the thing that would surely be her death.

She undid the knots and began again, tightening her loose ends and making sure it came out perfectly. She waved away the instructor who was practically breathing on her neck, attempting to give her advice on how to make this better. What he said was a complete contradiction to what Gale would say though, and for that she refused to listen.

She didn't notice the immediate silence that followed in the room. It wasn't too loud to begin with but soon even the Gamemakers and their constant drunk laughing was gone.

She turned to the door where the brute from District 2 entered. He looked entirely displeased at the sight before him, eyes glaring and mouth twitching downward. Katniss followed his line of eyesight and found herself looking at the boy from District 6. She couldn't help but notice that many of the Careers were beginning to draw in on the two.

The District 6 and the District 2 males were beginning to move in on each other. Katniss had a strange recollection of two wild dogs fighting in the forest once, how they hadn't given up until one was laying on the forest floor with its entrails strewn across the dirt and the other stood above with its muzzle stained red. She had watched from the safety of a high tree, half tempted to shoot the victorious dog but then deciding it was a shame to kill something that fought so hard to live. It had been a bountiful summer, anyway.

She was protected from the two boys by both distance and the four days it would take to reach the arena and for that she looked at both of them with curiosity, as did everybody else in the training room.

They were talking but she couldn't hear. It probably didn't matter either, from the few sharp words she could catch she knew that it was mostly swearing and threats. On their side of the room Peacekeepers were slowly moving forward. They were ready to take the boys down if need be.

As it turns out, they were needed. Both boys lunged at each other and would no doubt kill one another if it weren't for the Peacekeepers to drag them apart.

They were dragged out on different sides of the room while the other tributes, instructors, and Gamemakers looked on.

This wasn't the part that surprised her most, but rather when the District 6 boy came back in and joined the Careers and the girl from 2.

When the boy from 2 returned he went alone to decapitate several dummies with a sword.

* * *

Peeta brought it up over dinner. Effie nodded and quickly change conversation onto the topic, "I was actually discussing this with Antony! It's the dirtiest little piece of gossip I've heard in quite a while."

"And you wouldn't deny us by refusing to give the details, would you Effie?" Cinna asks, passing food down to the other end of the table.

"Certainly not. Antony, for those of you who don't know, is the District 2 escort. He finally has to be ashamed of his District! It's actually rather sad. You see the District 6 boy… Oh what was his name? Jason! That's his name, yes he rallied up District 1, 2, and 4 to join him. Very persuasive I hear. But apparently not persuasive enough because the District 2 boy… His name was… Cato! Yes, Cato refused to join him. He said he was going to be the leader of those three districts. Apparently not though, because 1 and 4 aren't with them. Not even his own district partner! Can you imagine?"

"Such a scandal." Portia chuckled as she poured more salad onto her plate.

"Oh indeed, can you imagine the shame he must feel?"

"Gracious no." Portia replied, shaking her head back and forth.

"But does this mean anything for us?" Katniss asked sharply, eyes fixated on Haymitch. He was silent for a moment as the others slowly began to turn to him.

He pondered over it for a minute before slowly nodding. "Assuming you make it past the bloodbath? You might just do well."

* * *

He was restless and no amount of pacing could change that. Dinner had been a violent affair, as had most things in his life since the change in alliance.

His body had shook at the effort not to lunge across the table and wrap his arms around the neck of the girl he'd known for years now. Her smug grin only made it worse. He wasn't sure what Jason was offering her, but clearly it made her feel safe enough to antagonize him.

Brutus eventually snapped at her and he himself seemed to be working on not attacking her physically. He'd made mention however, that she was lucky Enobaria was there to handle whatever sponsor she managed to get, for he refused to help a traitor.

"I'm a traitor? He's the one who refused to join us."

"Refuse to join that District 6 slum. Between the two of you, you're the traitor." He left it at that.

Cato could only hope that District 2 felt the same way. Especially his father who would rather die than have his son ruin the family name. Cato was the youngest of three male siblings, all of whom had been trained for the games but only him who had been picked.

Suddenly there was no honor in dying in the games, not at the hands of his former allies. Dying at the hands of another Tribute was just as dishonorable. Maybe the male from District 11, no one else. He could just as easily die by something in the arena such as a mutation or tricks by the Gamemakers. But nothing else suited him, it was a victory he was going for and nothing else would be good enough.

He stopped pacing when he realized how late it was getting. Tomorrow would be the final day in the Training Center, after that the important stuff would begin.

He wondered if there was any way to get new allies. Perhaps Glimmer would be willing to join him again. She flirted with him enough during the parade but something told Cato that she would be a useless ally. He would end up watching her back more than she would his. Marvel and the pair from 4 seemed just as useless, Clove was a definite no go.

For now he gave up on thinking. Instead he collapsed into bed and tried not to think about the shameful ways he could die.

* * *

The sun set over the Capitol and twilight settled in as the sky slowly dimmed from purple to black. Most Capitol citizens were getting ready for the parties that night while the Training Center slowly died down as Tributes finished their dinner.

Katniss stared out the window from her bedroom, watching all the little ants on the ground scurrying from building to building.

In the hallway outside her door she could hear everybody bidding each other good night. She hadn't changed into her pajamas yet and knew it was a useless endeavor. Whenever she closed her eyes all she could think about was Prim and the Games.

She sucked a deep breath in and tried to calm herself down.

Maybe a glass of milk would help, she thought. She ventured out of her room and into the kitchen, pausing when she saw the redhead Avox girl. No doubt the Capitol was watching them.

Shamefully, Katniss looks at the ground and requests a glass.

The glass is poured and the Avox girl returns to the corner.

She pauses her drinking when she hears the near silent elevator moving up and down through the Tributes quarters. "The elevators aren't shut off?"'

The Avox girl makes a subtle shake of the head.

Katniss eyes the doors curiously and wonders if the training center would be open. She set her glass down and slowly made her ways to the door, cautious as though President Snow himself would demand she back away.

But he didn't, no one did.

She presses the button and a few seconds later the doors open to an empty box that she steps into.

She presses another button and soon the box carries her down closer to the floor.

It dings and releases her into the Training Center. She slowly steps out and waits for a group of Peacekeepers to tell her to return to her room. Instead she's left alone in the empty halls outside the gym.

She gives a small push onto the doors and is delighted when they open freely to her. She has the entire gym to herself, void of Tributes or Gamekeepers.

Immediately, almost without hesitation, she heads straight to the archery station and picks up a bow after running her hand over the smooth surface.

She notches the arrow and goes through the familiar pattern of aiming and release.

Her arrow wobbles and misses the mark by a bit. She twists her face in a scowl before loading the next arrow up and taking a deep breath before releasing it.

"Impressive."

She swings around, eyes wide and terrified. She thinks it's a Peacekeeper at first. Here to take her back to her room. But it doesn't matter if a Peacekeeper knows she's talented in archery.

It does matter, however, when she's looking into the eyes of the District 2 boy.


	2. Chapter 2

She sucks in a deep breath, taking a few steps back and gripping the bow tighter in her hands.

He looks from her to her hands and then to the arrow lodged dead center in the dummy across the room.

She'd been caught red-handed and there was nothing she could do about it.

How could she lie about what he'd just so clearly seen? Instead she calmly set the bow back into its rightful spot in the racks and looked him in the eyes. He was watching her curiously and with no form of maliciousness.

The District 2 boy-Cato was his name, knew her secret. Maybe that wasn't so bad considering he wouldn't run off and tell the Careers about it. Not when they left him. All she really had to worry about was him and how he would use this against her.

So she stood there, patient and even the slightest bit confident. She quirked an eyebrow and waited for him to threaten her, to do anything but stand there and watch her so intently.

Finally she gave up with patients. She grew self-conscious with his eyes examining every aspect of her.

"What?" She snaps, gauging his reaction and seeing if there was anything that gave what he was thinking away.

He shrugs, "all I said was that it was impressive."

"Shooting a bow is not all that impressive." She huffs, attempting to make herself seem smaller. That was her angle wasn't it? To be the one nobody paid any attention to and then to show them what she was made of when she was in the actual games. Assuming she made it past the first day, of course.

He gives her a small smile, "District 12, right?"

"Yes." She says slowly.

And then he turns on his heel and walks from the Training Center as though he hasn't just discovered that she may actually pose a threat.

* * *

The next morning Katniss reluctantly gets out of bed with the pesky reminder from Effie Trinket that today's the last day of training.

Breakfast is a quick affair and Katniss wondered briefly if she should tell the others about her encounter last night. She decides against it when Peeta mentions some strategy ideas to Haymitch and the two discuss it avidly, but more so secretly.

Most of the morning is spent at the edible plants station. The trainer there realizes she knows more than the average Tribute and gives her the more complicated stuff.

Her eyes fly to the door every time it opens. The 6 Careers come in at once, laughing loudly and talking hurriedly.

Cato roles in about half an hour after they do. He spots her and watches her for a moment which Katniss doesn't bother to reciprocate. The second she sees him her eyes dart away and return to the plants.

She's relieved when he ventures over to the spears and leaves her alone. Still, throughout the morning she's glancing over making sure he stays in that spot.

It's nearing noon and people begin to slow down in anticipation of lunch. Katniss looks around for Peeta as she thanks the trainer and begins to walk towards the lunch room.

The Training Center quickly empties and she concludes that Peeta must already be in the lunch room. She looks to the archery station regretfully but quickly snaps out of it when she runs into Cato.

She doesn't bother apologizing, realizing that he must have waited for her.

"Come on Firegirl."

He takes her suddenly by the wrist and begins to lead her towards the station she just looked at.

She manages to break his hold on her but continues to follow him, though she's not entirely sure why.

There are Peacekeepers on the other side of the room who watch them curiously. Other than that they are completely alone.

He takes the same bow she used last night and an arrow, pushing both into her arms.

"Shoot."

"Last night was a fluke, you know? Beginners luck."

"Bullshit."

She presses her lips together in frustration and thinks of a way out of this.

She moves to put the arrow and the bow back, "I want to get something to eat before the others get everything."

Just as she's about to put the bow back, his hand suddenly shoots out and presses it further into her arms.

"Let me put it this way then. Shoot now for me, or I go ahead and let everybody know when they get back from lunch."

"Why would they care?"

He smirks, "it's the Hunger Games. Everybody is looking for an edge."

She knows he's right and it makes her blood boil.

Her eyes glance back to the exit for the lunch room and then back to him.

"Fine." She grumbles, angry and exasperated by his request. Why would he make her do this anyway?

She notches the arrow and pulls back. She releases the arrow and purposely has its fall to the feet of the target.

Cato shakes his head beside her. "No, do it right." He says, handing her a new arrow.

"That was an honest attempt."

"Just do it." He snaps, an edge in his voice that shows his own annoyance.

Tired of this game she finally gives up and shoots her next arrow directly into the center of the dummy. Without looking to him she knows he wears a smug grin on his face.

She sets the bow back and retrieves the arrows. She puts the arrows away and waits for him to say something, all she really wants know is why he had her do this. She's not really sure what she expected but certainly not the words that come out of his mouth. "So how about an alliance?"

She sputters around and struggles to find her words. When she finally does she can't keep the hysteric out of her voice. "What?"

"An alliance. Between you and I. We would separate when we got to the final 8 and give each other a day's start before we considered each other enemies."

"Absolutely not!" She hisses. She can see it now, District 12 disowning her for her alliance with the boy who wouldn't sit around and try to outlast the others. He's going to want to hunt the others like dogs.

"Oh come on, you do want to get back to your sister don't you?"

She pauses and sucks in a breath at the thought of Prim. Would her sister hate her for this? And what if she managed to win the Games, wouldn't that justify it all? He smiles at her silence, finding her weakness and further using it.

"Come on 12, you know you don't stand a chance by yourself. And even if there's a bow at the Cornucopia, could you get it? Glimmer's going to go straight for it."

He's attacking some of her biggest fears going into the Games. Unraveling her original plans and pointing out the obvious that she had struggled to come to terms with.

"Well?"

"Let me think about it." She cracks, already struggling to say no. She just needed somebody's reassurance. Somebody to tell her that this wouldn't be the worst mistake of her life.

He shrugs, heading into the lunch room and calling back over his shoulder. "Have your mentor let Brutus know your answer."

She scrunches her eyes up and massages her temples briefly. She had to talk to Haymitch.

* * *

She waited for the right moment to talk to him but every time she thought of bringing it up something else would distract him.

It wasn't until after dinner that the others began to spread out. Haymitch was gone before she could even come up with the words to start a conversation with him.

"You okay?" Cinna asks her from the couch.

She slowly sits down beside him and can't help but wonder why she didn't talk to him to begin with. He may be from the Capitol but he was truly becoming one of her friends.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course."

She fiddles with her thumbs before falling back into the leather couch. "You know the District 2 boy? Cato?"

"Yes." He answers uncertainly, probably confused why she was bringing him up.

"He said he wanted us to be allies."

She saw the brief shock filter across his face before he asked, "and what did you say?"

"I told him I had to think about it."

"And have you?"

"Yes."

"What would your answer be?"

She digs her fingers into her palms and lets out a sigh. "I need to get home to Prim and maybe he can get me further then I could on my own."

"The Careers will want to go after him. If you're his ally then you'll have to worry about them."

She shrugs, having already thought of this. "I would be worried about them anyway."

He watches her for a minute before slowly responding. "I think you should."

"Really?" She asks quickly, having not really expected anybody to approve of this.

"Yes." He takes her hand and waits until she looks him in the eye. "I've come to consider you a friend and I only want what's in your best interest. Can you believe it?"

She nods.

"Then I think you should tell him yes. You should also leave before there's only a handful of you left."

"He said we would separate when there was only 8 left."

"Perfect. Now how about we go talk to Haymitch?"

* * *

To her shock, Haymitch doesn't bite her head off when she explains it to him. In fact, for the first time since she met him, he actually seems pleased with her.

"Well I guess it isn't the worst idea in the world. But why would he want to be _your _ally?"

"He caught me practicing with a bow."

Whatever approval he had for her slipped away at that moment. "How many times have I told you not to practice with that bow?"

"Well I didn't think anybody was around."

He grumbles something but gives up on speaking to her. He takes a sip of something from his flask. "I think Brutus is his mentor. I guess I'll go give him the good news."

She watches him leave and hopes Prim can forgive her.


	3. Chapter 3

Not a soul speaks in the room as metal clinks against plates. Occasionally Haymitch will unscrew a flask and take a quick swig before getting back to the brunch.

It's Brutus who breaks the silence and Katniss, despite the heavy atmosphere, wishes he didn't.

"So you can shoot a little bow and arrow? Tell me, do you think you can actually kill somebody?"

She bites her tongue to stop from showing any expression of shock or fear. How could she admit to them that she had so many qualms about killing in the arena? She couldn't very well say that to her new ally and his mentor who would likely be dealing with much more sponsor money than Haymitch would.

She tries to find the right words to explain that she's still useful to them but to her surprise it's Haymitch who comes to her defense.

"Sure she can shoot. Back in 12 she's the best hunter around."

"Hunter?" Brutus asks.

"Hits all the little woodland creatures between the eyes." He slurs and then takes another drink before realizing he's gotten to the bottom of the flask. He looks at it as though it was a betrayal and slowly puts it back into his pocket.

Brutus, no longer paying attention to them but rather focusing on what this means for Cato, seems rather happy by this new tidbit of information. "Assuming there's a fair number of animals in this year's arena then we can save a fair amount of money on food."

This seems to make everybody at the table happy.

Cato speaks for the first time, though Katniss had noticed he'd been following every word spoken at the table very carefully. "What about tomorrow at the interviews? How should we play that? "

"The wonderful thing about the lineup is that he," Brutus nods to Cato, "can drop this little bombshell and get all of Panem excited. Then they'll be waiting the whole time for you." Brutus indicates Katniss this time.

Haymitch finally finishes the food on his plate and throws his garbled thoughts out there.

"The District 1 kids will go first but I doubt they'll have anything interesting to share. If the boy does a good enough job then nobody will really pay attention to the girl. District 4 isn't all that impressive this year so I wouldn't worry too much about them." He taps his chin, "Then that District 6 kid might have something interesting to say." He pauses, still thinking about the ramifications of what the District 6 boy speaking with Caesar might be.

He's unaware of the scowl that suddenly takes over Cato's face or the way he suddenly looks like he wants to break something. Katniss wouldn't doubt it.

Brutus smiles, loving the anger that clouds his Tribute.

Haymitch finally gives up on thinking of the potential outcomes tomorrow night may bring and instead claps his hands.

"You two," he points his shaky fingers to Cato and Katniss, "keep your little alliance to yourself for now. If anybody else figures it out then they'll have time to pull some stunt during the interviews."

Katniss is unsure of what kind of stunt somebody could try to pull and Cato must feel the same way because he voices her question.

Haymitch shrugs. "Your little district partner finds out and she goes running to the District 6 boy. You drop the bombshell to Caesar and maybe the two of them have already planned something much bigger that overshadows you two. Something stupid like her confessing she has feelings for him. _Katniss _here may be a good hunter but she's about as interesting as a slug."

Katniss's eyes flashed dangerously over to her mentor. She still wasn't sure whether Haymitch liked her or not but moments like these hinted to her that he didn't.

The group finishes up with their drinks before getting ready to head down and have their skills evaluated for a score.

* * *

Katniss rushes out of the room, pushing past Effie and Haymitch and heading straight for the elevator.

It opens with a cheerful ding that she can hardly hear through the pounding in her ears and screaming in her head.

She'd done something terrible, she attacked the Gamemakers. More specifically their food, but still she was sure there would be ramifications. Would they arrest her? Kill her family? Give her a zero?

She practically fell out of the elevator when it finally opened to the twelfth floor.

Peeta was sitting there twiddling his thumbs and looking at her anxiously. "So how'd you do?" he asks in a voice that would so genuine in curiosity that it almost hurt.

She can't stand looking at him or knowing that he'll be dead soon. She storms straight to her room and locks the door behind her as she throws herself onto the bed.

About a half an hour later Haymitch comes to see her.

He's upset when she tells him what happened, but not totally discouraged.

"Let's just wait until tonight."

* * *

Her hands are shaking when she sits down with the others. She draws her knees to her chest despite Effie's protest. She wonders what Cato will think when a 0 pops on the screen for her.

She tries to think of any other Tribute from the past to score a 0, but none come to mind.

In her peripheral vision, she can spot Haymitch watching her. She's reassured when Cinna takes her hand and gives it a light squeeze. He lets go when the music blasts through the room and Caesar Flickerman appears on screen. The host is the same as always, a ridiculous new hair color and a smile that stretches from ear to ear. He gives the usual speech about how Tributes are scored on a scale of 0 to 12. He gets right down to business and Tributes faces begin to show up on the screen with numbers appearing beside them.

Both Tributes from District 1 score 9, a decent score for Careers.

Cato's face shows up accompanied by a 10. She glances to Haymitch but his face is wiped clean of any expression.

The District 2 girl also scores a 10.

The District 4 boy gets an 8 and the girl gets a meager 7.

Katniss and the others are slightly surprised when the District 6 boy, Jason, gets a score of 5. She knows that both Brutus and Cato must be grinning right now.

The only other scores that Katniss pays attention to are the District 11 Tributes. Thresh with a 10 and Rue with a 7.

Caesar moves on to District 12 and her heart begins to beat erratically.

She offers her congratulations to Peeta when he receives in 8, an impressive feat for somebody from their District. They quiet down when her face suddenly appears with a number slowly appearing beside it.

At first she thinks she scored a 1. It's only after blinking and the screaming in the room that she sees the additional 1 beside it. An 11.

Caesar thanks everybody for watching and reminds them that tomorrow will be the interviews.

Katniss doesn't hear this as she is suddenly being hugged and thrown around the room as people grab her shoulders and pat her on the back.

"Well who knew you had it in you?" Haymitch chuckles lightly.

* * *

Jason watches the screen unmoving. His mentors are useless, completely bugged out on morphling. His District partner is quiet as she slips from the room.

All he can see is that 5.

He had the Careers wrapped around his fingers but after tonight he wasn't so sure.

He could tell them it was a ploy, a way for him to be less noticeable until the official announcement of his leadership.

Could they respect that though? They were, after all, brutes who only cared about victory. He finally turned the screen off and slowly heads to his room.

The 5 was only a setback.

Tomorrow at the interviews he would fix all of it.

* * *

Enobaria leaves the room without comment. This makes Brutus laugh as he's never seen her speechless before.

She doesn't know about the alliance of course, but she must feel shame for encouraging Clove to ally with the boy who only scored a 5.

Clove left the room the second Caesar said good night and Brutus was fairly certain he wouldn't see her again until the morning, when her room and manicured nails destroyed.

It's not until Antony leaves the room that Brutus pours a glass of whiskey and lets himself smile.

"Well who knew the little Girl on Fire had an 11 in her?"

"I told you she was good with a bow."

"Glimmer's good with the bow."

"Glimmer doesn't hit the bull's-eye every time."

Brutus throws the drink down his throat and pours another. "You don't get an 11 for hitting the bull's-eye. I want to ask her how she did it before the interviews tomorrow."

"Same."

Brutus could tell that Cato's ego had doubled when Jason's score had shown up. He also knew that Katniss's had been a slight punch to him.

"Cheer up boy. Your little ally just brought in a fair share of sponsor dollars."

Cato doesn't answer. Instead, he plots out his interview for tomorrow night.


	4. Chapter 4

Katniss falls straight into a chair when her prep team finally relents in covering her body with lotions and glitters. Only when Peeta enters the room does she cover herself better, pulling the silk robe closer to her body. He's got dress pants on and a white T-shirt, his face covered in a light pile of makeup. He gives her a gentle smile and glances out the window to the sky. The sun is getting closer and closer to setting which means they'll soon be sent to interviews. They both spent the entire day prepping with Haymitch and Effie but neither one felt confident for tonight.

Katniss wasn't sure how she could be confident tonight. Not when she was about to betray everything that her District stood for when it came to boys trained to kill.

Did Peeta even know? She looked in his eyes and tried to find the answer but was left mystified. Just when she was about to bring the subject up, the room suddenly filled with the prep team, Haymitch, and Effie.

They were both dragged away and made 'TV ready.'

"Oh Cinna," Katniss mumbles breathlessly when he finishes dressing her, picking up one hem of her skirt and playing with it between her fingers.

She doesn't look like Katniss Everdeen who runs through the woods and protects the people she loves. She looks like the Girl on Fire who volunteered to die in her sister's place and then made one of the most memorable entrances in Hunger Games history.

A dress made entirely of jewels, with hair and makeup that brings focus to her eyes and lips and not the cuts on her shoulders or the scars on her arms. The scars are still present though, and if you look closely you can see them in the light. Although Cinna doesn't say it aloud, Katniss knows he did this on purpose, so she wouldn't be seen as some pretty face out there but as somebody who knew exactly what she was doing.

Maybe she was misinterpreting it herself, but seeing the mixture of her scars and her new face gave her a small confidence in the pit of her stomach.

She takes a shaky step off the small pedestal he has kept her on. He takes her wrist above her, "twirl."

She raises an eyebrow but does as he says, immediately stopping when the hem of her dress suddenly lights on fire.

"Try to get that in the interview."

"I'm nervous," she admits, staring at the solid hem of her dress that was only moments ago aflame.

He taps her in the nose and gives a gentle smile. "Don't worry; it's not you doing the heavy lifting tonight."

* * *

District 2 arrives in separate cars. Antony keeps his head down in shame whenever their pictures are taken. "I can't believe you're putting me through this. I can't believe you let that little District 6 slime steal away the pack."

Cato grumbles but otherwise ignores him. He's got his interview almost entirely mapped out in his mind; there are just a few details that still need to be worked on.

They head inside, Brutus and Cato walking together towards the backstage, Clove and Enobaria going to meet up with the others. Cato can fell eyes on him almost constantly, something that he doesn't care for at the moment. Under any other circumstances he would smile and wave to potential sponsors in the crowd. Right now his only concern is finding his ally and trying to get in a few words with her before they go out. When he gets backstage he asks some guy in a rainbow wig if District 12 has arrived yet.

"12? Why on earth would you want to know about a place like District 12?"

"Answer the question," Cato snaps, standing straighter and towering above the boy.

"Looks like they just arrived," the boy says, not intimidated as he points towards the back of the room behind the chaos where the outer District is getting a final lecture from their escort.

Cato waves him off before making his way towards the back. He stands a modest distance away from them until the blonde kid in the group runs off to some place.

The escort notices him and looks completely baffled by his presence. "Oh my- I... Can we help you?"

Katniss quickly turns to him and raises an eyebrow.

Now it's Cato's turn to be baffled. The usually stern girl is still present but you could hardly tell under the soft makeup and the dress that clings to her body and shows curves that you would have never guessed she actually possessed. She looks normal yet she maintains a beauty that comes off as _natural, _something that's hard to find here in the Capitol. He quickly shakes away the feeling he gets when looking at her and ignores her escort's protests when he gives a quick, "we need to talk," and grabs her wrist to take her someplace more private.

They end up in a dressing room that still reeks of perfume. He closes the door behind them before turning to her. "You got an 11."

"Thanks, I hadn't exactly watched the scores being released."

Any beauty he might've found in her quickly washes away at her sarcasm. She'll be the death of him, he decides. A few days in the arena with her and he might just turn himself over the Careers.

"So how did you get it?"

"None of your business."

"I'm your ally!"

She huffs, pressing her lips together and crossing her arms over her jeweled dress. She finally relents and in an almost whiny voice, "I attacked the Gamemakers food."

"You what?" Cato is torn between being shocked and impressed. When he had gone into that room it had never occurred to him, not even for second, to do anything but decapitate dummies and throw spears across the room.

"Well they weren't paying attention to me and I doubted they would remember a few arrows and a target…"

He can't help but smile. He quickly drops it when he moves on to more pressing issues. "So I'll announce that we're allies to Caesar in my interview. I'll come find you afterwards and depending on what the others say afterwards, especially Jason, we'll figure out what you're supposed to say from there. Got it?"

Reluctantly, she says yes. Her tone is due more to nerves than a rejection of what he's saying.

They leave the dressing room, her going back to Effie and Haymitch and a now confused Peeta, him heading to Brutus where they are beginning to line up for the stage.

The loud music begins and wild cheers from the crowd makes the ground shake.

Glimmer heads out first, dazzling the audience in a sheer golden dress that leaves little to the imagination. She never mentions Jason or Cato.

Marvel heads out as the funny guy who can crack jokes and keep an audience mildly entertained.

Clove heads out as mysterious but an overall top 8 contestant. Cato watches her with slight apprehension, especially when she mentions the new Career leader.

"Clove, darling, what do you bring this year that no other Tribute has brought before you?"

"Oh Caesar it's not what I'm bringing."

"Oh whatever do you mean dear?"

"Well… There were some falling outs and new allies brought in… The point is my own District partner, who you'll speak to in a minute, is no longer with the usual pack. That is, District 1, 2 and 4."

Caesar, as well as those in the audience, gasps.

"How shocking!"

"Very shocking. You see the majority of us agreed that Jason from District 6 was a better leader than Cato. He refused to listen to anything Jason said and so we decided to make a few changes."

"Changes to get rid of Cato?"

"Yes."

The buzzer goes off and Caesar wishes Clove the best of luck.

He watches her go before turning to the audience. "Well now I guess we get to hear from Cato himself, ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome please."

Katniss holds her breath as Cato steps onto the stage, confident as ever as he shakes Caesar's hand and takes a seat. The audience leans forward, determined to catch everything he says.

"Cato, I'm dying to know if what Clove just told us was true."

He gives a half smile and half the audience swoons. "Yeah it's true."

"You don't seem very upset." Caesar comments, looking mystified by such a declaration.

Cato leans forward so that all eyes are on him when he says, "Why would I be upset by losing such useless allies?"

The audience breaks out in quiet mummers and eggs Cato on to say more.

Caesar laughs and claps his hands. "So what you're saying is that you're still going to go far in the games?"

Cato laughs. "What I'm saying is that if I'm going down then I'm taking everybody else down with me."

The audience breaks out screaming.

It takes Caesar a while to calm them down. Katniss takes deep breath and holds it when she realizes that any second now he'll tell them about her.

"Aren't you at all nervous about going in alone?"

"I'm not going in alone."

"So you have a new ally?"

"Yes."

The audience erupts, begging him to tell who this mysterious person is.

"So who is it?" Caesar yells, trying to get his voice in over all the others.

"Isn't it obvious? She did get an 11 in her training score." The buzzard goes off sometime during the impending commotion.

Several of the Tributes waiting in line turn to look at Katniss. The Careers are glaring at her. A few Tributes are indifferent, having already accepted their death. Outlying Districts glare at her. Katniss shrinks under Thresh's eyes and refuses to meet them after a second.

"Is it true?" She turns slowly to Peeta. She gives a soft nod and then turns away from him, unable to see his reaction.

District 3 is called out but nobody pays attention to the quiet Tributes. The District 4 Careers attempt to steer the conversation away from Cato's announcement, but that seems to be all the Capitol wants to hear about. Eventually they get to Jason who walks on to the stage briskly.

Once Caesar and Jason have gotten past the formalities and the confirmation that Jason is leading the Careers, Caesar asks Jason for his opinion on the new alliance.

"I think it's a desperate move on his part. He knows we're going to kill him and now he's just trying to hide behind some girl."

"Some girl who scored 11."

"Training scores are subjective. They may give you an idea of what people are capable of but they also rely heavily on what you can do to dummies. There's a big difference between a mannequin and an actual person."

"So you're not nervous?"

"Absolutely not."

His interview continues but Katniss no longer hears it when Cato suddenly steps beside her. Several Tributes turn to look at them. Katniss can feel Peeta practically breathing on her neck.

"Stay elusive."

"What?"

"When you get out there, just answer Caesar's questions and try to stay as secretive as possible."

"Why?"

He suddenly moves closer to her, to the point that his breath is tickling her ear when he whispers, "Because Jason will be scrutinizing every second of your interview. If he knows anything about you then you're done for."

She turns to him and whispers in a low voice, "And what does that mean?"

"It means the difference between your life and death is as simple as snapping the bow. I'll come find you after your interview." He walks off before she can say anything else.

"What was that about?" Peeta asks.

Katniss sighs and gives him a light shake of the head before turning her focus back to the interviews. Jason's just now finishing up and the District 7 girl is being ushered out.

The line slowly gets shorter as one Tribute after the other heads out onto the stage. Katniss pays close attention to the District 11 girl's interview, surprised by the girl's confidence. She's also impressed, if not envious, of Thresh's ability to answer with 'yes' or 'no' and wishes that she had the image to do the same.

However, the end of Thresh's interview brings her only dread as a man with a clipboard suddenly grabs her by the shoulder and begins to push her out on stage. She quickly gains balance on her heels but nearly stumbles as she enters. Caesar comes to greet her, kissing her on both cheeks and holding her arm up. "What a lovely dress." He comments.

He must already know about the twirling aspect of her dress, for he urges her to spin before they take their seats. She does so, keeping her eyes half closed but aware of the flames by the audience gasping.

"A round of applause for Cinna!"

Cinna stands up for a moment and Katniss glues her eyes to where he sits, memorizing the spot and looking towards it whenever she gets nervous.

When the crowd finally begins to settle down, Caesar leans forward and says, "Miss Everdeen you have some explaining to do." The crowd laughs and he continues. "What's this I hear about you having an ally?"

Katniss thinks briefly of home and her family and Gale watching TV right now. "I do have an ally."

"Cato?"

She nods, "Cato."

Despite the sudden whispers, Caesar continues to interview her. "Tell me dear, how did this happen?"

She shrugs and slouches slightly in her seat but quickly sits up when she thinks of Effie backstage watching her. "I- well I can't really tell the story without giving away something."

"Hmm. Does that _something _have to do with how you got that 11?"

"Yes."

"Ah! And onto your 11, care to indulge us?"

She laughs and then looks to the Gamemakers who sit together in one section of the audience. "Well… I don't think I can say what I did. Only that I think it was a first."

"You're killing us!"

The rest of the interview is a blur for her. She answers questions and tries to be as charming and elusive as possible. When the buzzer finally goes off, she scurries off the stage in relief.

The words 'lamb stew' are still on her lips when she nearly crashes into Cato. Behind him she catches a glimpse of the Careers standing together and watching them. He rests his hand on her shoulder and guides her to one corner of the backstage where they can have some privacy.

"That was good. Now we have to talk about what we're doing tomorrow."

She takes a deep inhale and waits for him to continue. She doesn't want to think about tomorrow, not about what the day will hold for her.

"We're both going to have targets on our backs at the bloodbath."

"Obviously. Do you think you're fast enough to get a weapon before them?"

He shrugs, "it's not me I'm worried about. You think you can get a bow by yourself?"

"I don't know," she admits

The audience laughs, she realizes Peeta's in his interview now and must be charming them. When Peeta's done with his interview they'll all be sent back to the Training Center. Katniss realizes the next time she'll see Cato is on a pedestal with 60 seconds to figure out what to do.

"Try to get a bow and I'll get anything else we'll need. We'll leave the Cornucopia from there."

The final buzzer goes off and Caesar closes for the night. Katniss and Cato separate, "See you tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

Cato waits in the Launch Room. He examines the clothes his stylist left for him and decides that the arena must be woodland. The uniform he wears now is similar to the ones used in forests, anyway. He glances at the tube that will take him up to the arena and the impending bloodbath. His fingers twitch in excitement and he can't help but wish he didn't have to leave so quickly after the gong rang.

The robotic voice comes over and announces that it's almost time to start. His stylist is filing his nails in the corner and nods to the tube, "You better get going boy."

Cato rolls his eyes and decides that after he's won he'll have his stylist fired. He steps onto the plate and waits for the rise.

The walls close around him and he's lifted through the tunnels through the dark until he's blinded by the sudden explosion of light in his vision. He blinks a few times and focuses on the ground until he can see again. He quickly does an assessment of his surroundings, pleased to see that he was right when he guessed that this year's arena would have forest in it.

He spots Katniss about five Tributes to his left. She's still blinking against the harsh light.

He makes sure he remembers where she's at as he continues to look at the others. Jason's almost right across from him.

Glimmer is to his right and the girl from 7 on his left. He looks to the Cornucopia and spots a bow with a set of arrows just outside the mouth. He looks from this to Katniss and sees her eyes on him. He nods towards the bow and she slowly looks to it. He knows her focus is on it and if she can just get it and get out quickly enough, they might just make it to tomorrow.

He knows what he wants is going to be inside the Cornucopia. He leans forward and gets ready to run; the clock must be draining of time.

He feels his heart begin to run wild, ready for the bloodshed to come. He fights the smile down and instead shows nothing but determination.

Finally, when he thinks he will stay on the pedestal for another thirty minutes the gong goes off. By the time several of the other Tributes realize what's happening, he's already halfway to the Cornucopia.

He's the first one inside and smiles when he sees the sword on the wall. He grabs it and turns just in time to see the boy from District 4, whose name he never learned, just arriving. The boy realizes his mistake just as Cato swings the sword and cuts from the junction between his neck and shoulder down to the center of his chest. He collapses in a pile of his own blood and gurgles for a few seconds.

He grabs the case for the sword and begins to grab other things he might want like a few heavy backpacks that, because they're in the Cornucopia, must hold many useful things. He slings them over his shoulder and heads out into the chaos.

The boy from District 11 runs right past him and Cato's half tempted to go after him. He doesn't though, realizing he probably has to find Katniss now. He raises an eyebrow when the boy from District 9 comes charging at him with a mace.

He deflects it easily and shoves the sword through his stomach.

This isn't like all the training scenarios they did back at the Academy. He knew that coming out here would be much different but he's surprised just how big a difference there is. The blood on his hands is real, the screaming ringing in the air is real. He pauses to try and figure out where everybody is. Mostly he wants to find Jason and kill him now. He also knows that this would displease the Capitol who was probably looking forward to some big finale. If Cato was anything, it was a servant to the Capitol.

He pauses when he spots the District 3 girl lying dead beside the bow and arrows. The violence is becoming much more wild and while he sure he can handle it, he's not so sure about Katniss. He tries to find her but to know avail. He even looks at the bodies on the ground but sees no brown braid.

The only moment that he feels any fear is when a knife flies past him, embedding itself into the throat of the District 10 girl. He follows the path the knife took and spots Clove with a full arrangement of blades. She would never miss a target and this is one of the few truths he knows. Luckily for him she is not looking in his direction but rather the beginning of the forest. He follows her next target and spots Katniss running with only an orange backpack.

Before he can even think to do anything the knife is out of Clove's hand and heading straight for Katniss.

There's a moment of terror that he really will have to go through the games alone, that after this it's him constantly looking over shoulder and waiting for the Careers to kill and humiliate him. But then the Girl on Fire lifts her backpack up and the knife embeds itself into the bright material.

Cato snaps himself out of his trance, though it lasted only a few seconds, at least two more people have died around him.

With his quick speed he manages to get to the bow and arrow before anyone else can think of it. He slings them over his shoulder but with the backpacks already there along with his sword case it's a tough balance.

He still manages it though and begins running in the direction Katniss took off into.

He nearly loses one of her arrows but readjusts the quiver on his shoulder so that it does not bounce as much.

In all the years he trained and aspired to be in the games, this part had never really come to mind. That is, running from the bloodbath. It was assumed that he would make the initial fight as gory and bloody as possible, then secure the Cornucopia before hunting down the rest of the Tributes. He did not feel fear as he ran down the hill into the deeper woods, just moments of anxiety as he glanced to either side of him and saw similar figures running. He wondered if they knew what he could do to them, that they would stay alive for now simply because he had to find this one girl.

After a while it didn't matter. Eventually it was just him running. Five maybe ten minutes went by before he wondered if he was going in the right direction or if she changed her course at all.

He wasn't winded or tired but began to slow down in hopes of seeing any clue of her.

He searches the ground for footprints and does see hints of recent activity. Branches snapped and dirt kicked up. No way of telling if it was her, another Tribute, or an animal. He follows the light tracks, head down and searching for any clues but ears still tuned in to any disturbances.

It must be two miles away from the Cornucopia when the canons finally go off. He pauses to listen to them and counts with each shot.

Ten dead, two by him.

He hears that modest sound of boots falling to the ground. He grips his sword behind his shoulder and is ready to pull it out. He immediately let's go and drops his arms to his side when he spots Katniss.

She looks slightly nervous between two trees, watching him curiously as though this was the first time they were meeting.

"Well you ran off pretty quick, didn't you?" he asks her, not upset, merely stating the facts.

She holds his gaze but snaps to her immediate right when she must hear some sort of noise. Eyes still gazing over the forest, she answers only halfheartedly, "I got distracted at the last second."

"What do you mean he got distracted?" he asked incredulously, how distracted could she be at a moment like that?

"Does it matter?"

_If it gets you killed than it does. _He almost blurts out but managing to catch it at the last second. It sounds too friendly for somebody he may just end up killing.

"I guess not."

Her eyes are still trained to the direction of the Cornucopia. "We should really keep moving."

Cato collapses onto the log closest to her. "We'll be fine here for at least an hour."

She looks at him disbelievingly, "You want us to just wait here for them to find us?"

He takes the bow and arrow off and sets them beside him where she can come and get them. Next he takes the two backpacks off and finally understands just how much they weighed on his shoulders.

"And who's going to find us so quickly? Outlying Districts we can kill. Jason and the others will secure the Cornucopia before they come hunting."

She still looks nervous as she comes to stand beside him, picking up the bow and shouldering the quiver. She slowly sets her orange backpack beside the two camouflaged ones he brought with him.

"They might be identical." He says, setting one of the bags on his lap and opening it to see what contents were inside. She follows his examples and takes up the other bag. She's surprised just how much they have, having never seen a Tribute in the Hunger Games have both a sleeping bag and an inflatable sleeping mat.

Cato's right to say that both bags are identical; they both contain the same items. They end up splitting what they can from her orange backpack, which doesn't offer much. She stuffs the bag under the log she now sits on beside him, it being completely useless in its color and the tear from the knife. She keeps the knife for herself. He puts up no argument why he should have it. They take a minute after they finish organizing to just sit there. Katniss relaxes in the woods and is almost able to pretend she's back home. Cato settles down, knowing full well that he's in the Hunger Games arena and finding comfort in this. He hopes for either an honorable death or a full on victory.

They finally let go of their fantasies and prepare to go further into the woods.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry for the wait! Long story short a member of my extended family passed away. We weren't close but I was obligated to attend the funeral. Anyway, enjoy the update. **

* * *

Katniss forces down her thirst and takes only small sip as they trek further through the woods. She's not exactly sure where they're going and doubts Cato has any real plan. With the sun already descending in the sky though, she hopes he at least has an idea for tonight.

She constantly looks behind her, always half expecting a Career to be standing there. About three hours after the bloodbath when she turned around to take a look, there had been a deer that caused her to nearly jump out of her skin.

Cato pays almost no attention to her, constantly looking for where he wants to go next. At first she followed almost obediently, but now she was becoming tired of trying to put the pieces together.

She still walks behind him but decides to finally raise her voice. "Where are we going?"

He glances over his shoulder like he's half surprised to see her. "Higher ground."

"Why?"

"If we get a base camp that nobody can find then we can leave all this stuff and go from there."

Katniss looks for higher ground and sees very far in the distance a series of cliffs that are in their general direction. Now that she has a target she's able to focus on it and walk with a little more confidence. It's still exhausting, but she refuses to show any wavering in her steps.

The only time she really pauses is when a cannon goes off. Cato doesn't so much as flinch and she has to remind herself that he's been working for this his entire life.

The trees are tall and she knows she could reach some of the highest points if she were to climb one of them now. She looks at the branches and the rough bark of each tree and pushes away her longing for home.

For now, she follows Cato despite the blisters growing on her feet.

* * *

Katniss's mother refuses to look away from the TV. Some are worried that she was slipping back into the depression she once had after her husband's death, so Hazelle Hawthorne offered to stay with her and Primrose for the time being.

Most of her kids were at the house which was just fine with Prim. She liked that Posy would occasionally cry and break the silence. She liked that Rory tugged at her braids whenever she began to cry or that Vick could attempt to remind her that Katniss was the best there was.

The person Prim wanted to see the most was nowhere to be found. Gale's the only one who would tell it to her straight, tell her exactly what was going on and how sick it was.

Prim doesn't hate the boy from District 2; she's just reluctant to trust her sister with him. When he had announced that they were allies during Caesar's interviews her mother had let out a shriek and Prim had begun to shake. She also noticed, from the corner of her eye, Gale Hawthorne snarl at the TV and ball his fists up.

He didn't leave the house until Katniss's interview was over, when she confirmed her alliance and left the stage.

Prim hadn't seen Gale since. His brothers mentioned that he was in the forest all night. Now that the games had officially begun she wondered if he even knew that Katniss was alive and well with Cato.

On the screen now she watches the Careers get ready to go out for some 'hunting' in which Jason already called dibs on Cato and Clove on Katniss. Her mother whimpered and buried her face into her hands while Hazelle rubbed her back.

They briefly show the District 5 girl making a shelter at the base of a tree not far from the Cornucopia.

It shows in great detail the Careers killing- no, slaughtering - the District 8 girl.

The creaky old door opens at the front of the house and Prim whirls over to see Gale slowly stepping in. His body is covered in a fine layer of dirt. He slowly takes a seat beside his mother before cautiously looking to Prim.

"How is she?"

It floods from Prim's lips before she can even stop herself. "She's alive and with that boy." Her chin wobbles and she slowly breaks down into sobs, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face between them.

Rory or Vick comes to sit beside her and reassure her that it's going to be okay. She doesn't lift her head until the cameras switch and Katniss is on screen once again.

* * *

The temperature in the arena drops quickly after the sun sets. The sweat on Katniss's skin begins to dry while the chilled air hits her with enough intensity that she zips her coat up to the base of her throat. The sun is gone and the sky quickly dims as they settle in a cave. She looks around her surroundings and has to applaud Cato for his choice of setting tonight. She doubts any other Tribute traveled as persistently as they had today. The point was, they probably wouldn't have to deal with another Tribute or Career for at least another day.

She slowly sets her bag down and does as Cato does, looking further into the cave for any danger.

The cave ends pretty quickly, leaving no room for escape if they were to be ambushed. Neither Katniss or Cato worries about this for the time being.

The light begins to fade from the arena and the two of them settle down for the night, unrolling their sleeping bags but not quite getting into them just yet.

They have beef jerky for a quick dinner but their manner of posture could not be more different.

While Katniss is stiff and pointed to the mouth of the cave where she watches for any movement, Cato is leaning against one of the jagged walls with his head pointed in her direction but his eyes looking at nothing in particular.

They both pause when the Panem national anthem is played, followed by pictures of the dead. Cato watches indifferently as images of people he killed show up. Katniss holds her breath until the segment ends with the District 10 girl.

"So should I take first watch or should you?" she bites out, sparing him a glance for only a moment before looking back into the arena.

"Neither. How about we just go to bed now?"

She gawks and tries to find the words to tell him what an idiot he's being. "Has it not occurred to you that we can be killed at any moment?"

"I can _almost_ guarantee that there's nobody within a mile of this place."

She's about to argue but instead finishes her jerky and instructs him to go to bed. "I'll take first watch."

* * *

She watches the forest surrounding them very carefully, looking for any movement that could give away an animal or human.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the only problem she finds throughout the night is Cato snoring. That alone will give them away, she thinks.

The first hour after he'd gone to bed and the snoring had started she was unsure what to do. It wasn't necessarily loud but in the silence surrounding them it was deafening. She attempted to wake him up the first time, shaking his shoulder and hissing his name.

The snoring had stopped for a moment before he cracked one eye open completely alert and asking her what her problem was.

"What's my problem? Your snoring is going to attract every living creature in this place."

"I don't snore."

"Yes you do."

He rolls over on to his side so that his back is pointed to her. "Give me another hour." She huffs and takes her seat once again. It was silent for a few minutes before he started again.

"Cato."

Snore.

"_Cato_."

Snore.

Finally, exhausted with her paranoia and the noise, she picks up a small pebble and throws it in his direction. She's not sure where the pebble hit him with the total darkness of the cave, but it works because suddenly she is left in silence.

She takes a handful of pebbles and whenever he begins with the noise again she simply throws a tiny stone in his direction and feels satisfied when he shuts up for at least a minute.

It is only when she can barely keep her head up anymore, not even with her new activity, that she gives up on keeping guard and goes to wake him. He doesn't put up much of an argument this time, compliantly getting out of his sleeping bag to take watch for her.

She takes her boots off and crawls into her own sleeping bag. To her amusement and his confusion, when he stands up, dozens of little pebbles falls from him.


	7. Chapter 7

Cato, for the first time in his life, was eating meat that didn't come from the market. He watched her kill the rabbit, skin it, and cook it. It wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe a little greasier but this didn't really matter to him after not having a warm meal since the games had begun.

The morning had been quiet of any cannons or Tributes around them.

It was all relatively peaceful, something Cato despised. He was bored out of his mind sitting there and now playing with the bones of the rabbit. If he was in charge of the Careers he would be hunting down every last Tribute in the arena until he was the only one left standing. The idea was appealing to him but he doubted his new ally would be partial to his kind of hunting.

She returns to the cave, tossing him a new piece of meat while nibbling on her own. "Don't save it for too long or it will rot."

He grumbles but rips into it.

They both jump when there is a loud boom followed by an almost instantaneous downpour. They both make a quick job of dragging their backpacks and sleeping bags further into the cave as to save them from the water. Once they're settled back inside, Katniss can't help but pull her jacket closer to her and shiver against the freezing wind.

She brings her legs in and wraps her arms around them, then attempts to pull the sleeves of her jacket over her fingers to shelter them. The wind begins to pick up violently and she almost pities any Tribute not in shelter right now.

Her mind flashes to Peeta and she hopes he's all right. Then she thinks of little Rue until she's sick to her stomach at the idea of that little girl being out there.

She pulls her jacket over her head and can only hope that the storm dies down soon.

* * *

Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, and Jason quickly take shelter in the Cornucopia. The rain pelting down has left soft red marks on their exposed skin that radiate with warmth and a small sting.

They look at each other curiously before realizing there's one missing from their group.

"That girl from District 4…" Glimmer trails off, having not learned her name.

Clove shrugs. "I thought she was behind you."

Marvel snorts and takes a seat behind some of the supplies. "She's gone now. Idiot must have gotten lost."

They almost miss him but he chooses the wrong moment to try and make a run for it. The District 3 boy shoots out from behind one of the crates of supplies. His face is the image of terrified as he bolts into the downpour of rain with no sense of direction. He's running wildly, trying to get as far away from them as possible.

Clove is almost amused by this before taking one small knife and throwing is so precisely that he collapses to the ground, uninjured but not in the least bit fine.

He reaches down and pulls the small knife from his loose pants. It only left a small cut, the main purpose was to pin him to the ground. He knows, even while holding that small blade, he stands no chance of getting away from them.

Despite the almost hurricane like weather, the Careers venture out with a new target in mind.

The boy attempts to get up but is shoved down by Clove's boot.

They're debating who gets the honor of killing him but his shrill voice cuts through all of them. "I can protect your supplies! You'll never have to guard them again if you use the mines."

The only one intrigued by this is Jason and it's him who stops Marvel from dropping a pointed spear through the boys back. He squats down where the kid quickly unveils his plan to him.

He smirks, realizing this year was definitely his year.

The others complain as they scurry back to the Cornucopia, trying to shelter themselves from the storm.

Only the cameras and the District 3 boy catch Jason mumbling, "Fucking savages."

* * *

"What's that bird?"

The wind is dying down but the rain continues to pour. This is the only reason Katniss can hear him ask her a question from across the cave.

She glances over to him and realizes he's staring at the pin in her jacket. She touches it lightly and briefly remembers Madge Undersee and the Justice Building.

"It's a Mockingjay," she answers dully, unsure why he's asking her about such small a thing. In all honesty she hadn't given much thought to the golden pin.

She believes he'll leave it at that but is surprised when he continues to talk. She realizes he probably grew up surrounded by people and friends and wasn't used to somebody like her, somebody who preferred the silence.

"I didn't really picture you as the type to have jewelry."

"I'm not." He raises an eyebrow and she realizes she has to continue. "My friend gave me this as a token in the Justice Building."

He's quiet for a moment, regarding her from across the cave. He mumbles quietly to himself, "Also didn't expect you to be the type with many friends."

She lets out a sigh, mostly from frustration but also from the storm that traps her here with him. "I have plenty of friends."

"I'm sure you do."

"I do."

"No need to get so flustered."

What she feels for the most part is a need to hurl rocks at him just as she had the night before. Instead, she does something even she finds odd for herself. The cave is medium sized but she finds that she can throw herself across it pretty quickly. That's exactly what she does as she tackles Cato from his sitting position and finds herself straddling him. She reaches beside her and picks up a small palm full of dirt and holds it above his head before slowly releasing it. It's his initial shock that stops him from making a move until most of the dirt has escaped her small hand.

He wraps his arms around her midsection before she can even find a way out of it and rolls them over. She struggles for a moment but is quickly pinned down. That doesn't mean she gives up however. Despite how exhausting it is she continues to struggle beneath him.

Despite her sudden position she can't help but feel a burst of something close to enthusiasm. To simply roll around in a cave as though her life wasn't in an impossible balance right now. She felt light. Zealous, even. So despite her struggling beneath him, she couldn't help but grasp onto the childlike amusement found somewhere deep inside of her.

Still, he manages to hold her down as he leans over to his backpack and removes his water bottle. He makes a show of slowly unscrewing the cap before tilting it over her face.

The water is tilting just at the edge as he playfully says, "Say you're sorry."

She stops struggling for a moment. "Me? Sorry? This is entirely your fault."

He gives her no more time as the water comes splashing onto her face and rolling down her neck. She sputters for a second and is only half aware of him getting off of her. She quickly sits up and begins to wipe her face clean with the back of her jacket.

"Girl on Fire doesn't like water too much, does she?" Cato asks as he exits the cave. He places his water bottle somewhere where it can fill up again before returning.

She returns to her side of the cave and wraps her arms around her knees as she contemplates what just happened. She's not entirely sure _what _happened, only that all of Panem saw it. It was childlike on both of their parts. Not something you would expect to see in the Hunger Games. She wonders vaguely if that's a dangerous thing or something that warrants more sponsors. Probably both. She promises herself to get her head back in the game. She couldn't think of Cato as approachable (or in her case tackle-able) and she had to remember that he had the potential to be her killer in this place.

"You're really shaking," he says almost softly from across the cave.

She had felt the iciness of her fingers and toes but had been too caught up in her overall thoughts. Glancing down, she could see her hands shaking so violently that she wasn't sure she could even reach into her bag and pull out her blanket.

She attempts to, anyway. Unclipping her bag and digging through its contents. She finds her blanket and triumphantly wraps it around her shivering form.

She's not really sure where to go from there, nor is he. They don't really have to, though.

The rain is slowly losing its power and they manage to hear the sound of something falling to the ground. Both their eyes gravitate to the object at the mouth of the cave. A gift from a sponsor.

As Cato retrieves it Katniss contemplates every possible meaning it could possess, whether it was from Haymitch or Brutus. One of their mentors was trying to send a message to them. The gift was sent at too precise of a time to be a coincidence. Was it a warning to cool it down, to not act so friendly with each other? Or worse, was it encouragement to continue what they were doing? Because God forbid the Capitol actually _liked _it.

When Cato opens the box and there's a large steaming bowl of lamb stew and two spoons inside, despite both of them eating just before the storm started, Katniss knows it was the later.

* * *

**I'm sorry for the wait, damn writer's block! Suggestions/ comments welcome.  
**

**I realize, for those of you who've read my other Catoniss stories, this took on a weird twist with Katniss tackling Cato (8th deadly sin) and in a chilly cave (Lux). I'm a bit disappointed with how it turned out and I'm attempting to get something new going. **


	8. Chapter 8

For the first time in her life, Katniss feels at ease. Not safe. Simply eased. Like a deer resting in a meadow, relaxed in its environment but ready to spring the moment danger arose.

Her legs stretched in front of her, shins crossed and feet comfortable in boots that fit her perfectly. Her belly full and she reveled in the feeling. She stretches outwards, satisfied in the popping of her aching bones. The arena offers her the freedom to hunt her food openly, to carry her bow wherever she pleased.

In those wonderful, albeit short, moments, she feels as though there were no Hunger Games, no person in the woods ready to spring and kill her given the opportune moment. These are the times she craved for, the alternative to terrifying for her to contemplate at all.

At night, when Cato is on guard, she shrinks in her sleeping bag and hopes that if he sees her shaking he would assume it is from the cold, not those brief instants that fear completely consumed her, when she heard screams in her head that hazily resembled her own, and even worse, Prim's.

Now a morning's drizzle lightens to nothing but a sweep of chillness in the air, leaving her not cold bur rather clammy.

Her eyes relax, watching her surroundings but snapping at the sound of his voice.

"We should probably leave this place soon."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It was good when we had a lead on everybody else. Now we should begin to hunt."

She knows he isn't talking about animals. She buried the wince deep inside of her, keeping her face collected as she drags her bag beside her and does a quick inventory of what she has.

It wouldn't be a lack of supplies that killed either one of them, that was for sure.

They do their best to get rid of any trace of their being in that cave, kicking their fire pit and tossing dirt around the cave floor.

They look at the mess they'd made, satisfied with the image before grabbing their supplies and making their way into the forest.

The forest itself is quiet in the mornings, a light dew covering the grass and birds singing, usually in the distance, but it's otherwise startling to hear any other sound so close to themselves.

Her bag is heavy, the straps digging into her skinny shoulders that only months ago were flesh stretched over feeble bones only accustomed to carrying wooden bows and quivers stocked with sharpened arrows.

The two allies hike up a small ridge, adjusting their bags as needed and occasionally reaching out to the ground to pull themselves up.

They neither speak with each other nor do they offer assistance on the steeper ridges. They both find peace in the silence of the woods, a forest so similar to Katniss's own but so foreign to Cato, who was accustomed to long stretches of stone and very rarely a tree that went past ten feet.

They must only get a mile, if that considering the density of the woods, when they first find trouble.

The sky darkens but there is no sign of further rainfall. Something tells Cato it's for ambiance, to set the Gamemakers' stage just right for the next part of the show. He can almost hear Caesar Flickerman now, his voice echoing in the white room back at the academy from past games, an instructor at the front of the room reminding them the atmosphere meant everything.

He glances at Katniss, her eyes pointed to the sky and fingers curved out slightly, a position he imagines she took in order to sense even the slightest raindrops.

Their feet are grounded to the forest floor as they both listen to the silence, when even the animals have stopped with their morning songs.

Slowly, as though not to anger the sudden density of the woods, they prepare the weapons. He takes his sword, pulling it from its case and slowly putting it in the ready position.

She slides her bow from her shoulders and then notches her arrow, ears keen to her surroundings.

It's quite for a moment more, but then a voice rings out that slices right into the woodland.

"A little early for a hike. Don't you think?"

Katniss gulps, knowing the question was neither for them nor rhetorical. She's right, when the pale blonde of the District One girl's hair suddenly pops beside Jason, or when the dancing of metal against metal, Clove's knives catches up. The other Career, the District One boy, arrives. Katniss is vaguely aware of the absence of the District Four girl, but can hardly focus on this.

Her entire body shakes and she prays that they cannot see this. Still, she feels the blood draining from her face. Her fingers lose feeling and she struggles to hold onto her bow. She points it at Clove, knowing full well that Cato has dibs on Jason.

She can't imagine actually releasing this arrow, this one that will kill another human being. A being who's family is watching her right now. Maybe Clove has a sister?

The thought startles her and she immediately pushes it away. Her heart is now pounding full speed in her chest. Could they hear it from where they stood on the hill?

She dares to take a glance at Cato, not at all surprised by the tenseness of his body, the clenched jaw or the narrowed eyes.

She snaps back to her targets, arrow shaking but ready to lodge itself between Clove's eyes.

The girl smiles, knife spinning in her hands as she licks her lips and watches Katniss intently.

It's only a matter of who will attack first.

Thoughts of the Capitol and the entire country watching slowly fade from Katniss's mind.

Clove throws her knife and the District 12 native hardly dodges the blade. She throws her weight to the side and sees the thin dagger lodged into the ground.

The others charge, four against two. The odds weren't exactly in their favor. Gale's voice whispers in her subconscious and she wonders if those are the last words she will ever hear.

Clove is fast and Katniss releases only one arrow, which hardly slows Clove down but certainly makes Glimmer pause.

The arrow hits into the bark of a tree, a useless hit and before she can reload her bow, Clove's small hands grab her shoulders and drag her to the ground.

The smaller girl practically growls as she throws Katniss down, reaching in her coat and producing another knife, this one almost too large to fit in the girl's tiny hands.

She maintains a good grip though and brings the weapon down, stabbing just beside Katniss who barely dodges it in time.

Far off she hears yelling and the clanking of weapons. She knows it's Jason and Cato but cannot be entirely certain if the District One boy has joined in yet. It's hard to focus on them, though.

Despite her petite figure, Clove certainly has muscle and probably a hundred more knives hidden beneath her jacket.

Katniss has her own knife tucked uselessly in her boot while her bow, equally useless right now, lies just above her head. She is crushing her quiver but doubts the rest of her arrows are in danger in the metal case.

She finally spots Clove's weakness after evading multiple more stab attempts.

As Clove becomes more frustrated, of perhaps more excited, she swings with more force, her entire body going into that one slice of the knife.

Katniss lets her do this one more time and then with all her force, swings her body in the opposite direction. She rolls, not away from the knife, but towards it.

She tries to pin the girls hand but can't do it quickly enough. Instead she pushes onto her shoulder and rolls one more time so. She manages to get some ground as she swings her leg up.

She can't even get into a sitting position before Clove attempts to knock her down again.

They wrestle for an eternity, both their jackets feeling heavier as sweat builds up on their brows.

Katniss searches wildly for her bow, grabbing it when she's able to push Clove away long enough.

She tucks and rolls further from the girl, taking one knee and loading her next arrow with full intent of burying it in the girl's skull.

Clove actually looks frightened for a moment, a sentiment that lightens Katniss's mood significantly, that makes the shaking in her limbs and the tiredness of her courage irrelevant.

There is a loud crash, an explosion that reminds her of the mines in District 12.

An unintentional shriek escapes her when something pricks her neck. She sees the others attacked by the same thing.

Something lays between both assemblies, something that fell from the skies.

More come at them, hoards that buzz and make terrible noises.

People are running in every direction.

She's not even aware of her own running until she suddenly falls, her jaw slamming onto her knees some distance away from the initial fall.

She collapses, arms and legs turning limp. Her entire body shakes uncontrollably.

The bow falls from her palms. She struggles to lift her hands as she hears somebody laughing hysterically behind her. If she didn't know better she would say it was Caesar Flickerman himself.

Her hand is shaking in front of her. She hears the laughing muted by somebody screaming. Her lungs are raw. Is it her screaming?

Bugs crawl all along her hands, coming out of her jacket and dancing on her skin. They bury their way past the scarred skin, sinking into her body and into her very bloodstream.

Her eyes roll back just as the bugs begin to inflate, blowing up in spectacular flashes of light.


End file.
